


Dara Na

by Shuichi_Akai



Series: Weak Hero [8]
Category: Weak Hero (Webcomic)
Genre: Action, Crime, Donald Na's Sibling, Family, Fighting, Friendship, Gen, High School, M/M, Protective Siblings, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29037537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shuichi_Akai/pseuds/Shuichi_Akai
Summary: Dara Na, Donald Na's younger brother, attended Byuksan Middle School where he befriended Gray Yeon and Stephen Ahn.  He ended up injured while trying to save Stephen and became comatose as well. But unlike Stephen, he woke up after a couple weeks.Dara was unable to get into Yeo-Il and instead attends Daehyeon High School.
Relationships: Donald Na & Original Character, Donald Na/Kingsley Kwan, Gray Yeon & Original Character, Stephen Ahn & Gray Yeon, Stephen Ahn & Original Character, Stephen Ahn/Gray Yeon
Series: Weak Hero [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2021081
Comments: 3
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

A teenage boy with wavy black hair and sapphire blue eyes sat in Class 3-4 of Byuksan Middle School. A couple students were fighting amongst themselves, but the boy was one of the few who didn't care. Instead, he was laser focused on his drawing.

"Hmm," The red haired boy next to him said. "The whole class is going crazy around him and yet he's locked in textbooks, practice problems, practical knowledge books, and even literature. What is this kid's deal?"

"You and I are calm and ignoring the fight too," The black haired boy, Dara, said. "He probably doesn't find it entertaining so he doesn't watch it. Besides, fights like this happen all the time,"

"But this kid's different," Stephen told him. "Look at his fingers. They're bandaged. He's been at it to the point that his fingers blistered. Despite how he looks, he's reckless,"

"It's not _that_ reckless," Dara rolled his eyes. "Since you're so intrigued by him, go and ask him out on a date,"

"Who asks strangers out on a date?" Stephen laughed. "He and I haven't even spoken. I just keep coincidentally running into him ever since freshman year at the podium. I'm always placing in various events and him, Gray Yeon, is always placing for his excellent grades,"

"Online dating and dating apps," 

"Huh?" Stephen was confused by what Dara was talking about.

"You asked who asks strangers out on a date," Dara pointed out. "That's my answer. People who use online dating and dating apps hook up with complete strangers that they've never even seen in person," He held up his art book. "So, how's my drawing?"

 _'It's absolute crap,'_ Stephen couldn't immediately answer. _'But he worked so hard on it,'_ "You're improving,"

"I'm gonna go and say hi," Stephen stood up.

"Can I be your best man at the wedding?"

"Dara, you can't just randomly ship me and Gray," Stephen sweat-dropped as he walked over to Gray's desk.

_'Tell that to the fandom,'_

XXX

"You placed first in the monthly exam class ranking?" Dara questioned when he saw the results. "I _am_ surprised that you beat Gray,"

"How could you have no faith in your friend?" Stephen faked being hurt. "So Gray, how's that? I told you so, hahaha," He held up two fingers. "Peace sign of victory,"

Gray stared at him. _'What a weirdo,'_

"He can get first place whenever he wants," Dara shrugged. "There's just no prize money so he doesn't bother with it,"

"I thought you were surprised that he beat me?" Gray asked.

"I was just joking," Dara chuckled. "He wins any academic competition out there with prize money and uses it to pay for the class expenses,"

"Won't it impact his chances of getting into a good high school?" Gray pointed out. 

"Gray, the whole world doesn't revolve only around school," Stephen grinned. "Hey, you wanna play some soccer with us during lunch?"

XXX

Gray, not having anything else to do except study, hung out with Stephen Ahn and Dara Na. In Gray's eyes, Stephen saw school as nothing but a playground. At least Dara was actually trying, although he stayed mostly in fifth to tenth place.

Stephen and Dara often went to Gray's house to play Takkan. "Hey Gray, wait a second!" Stephen frantically pushed at the buttons. "My uppercut isn't working. My controller's bugging out! I'm caught in a random loop!"

 _'Uppercut, dodge, juggle, one-two,'_ Gray thought as he played calmly.

"Wait, Gray. Wait, wait, wait!"

_'Upper again, link, shield cancel, link cancel, rage uppercut,'_

"Gah! Hechihai on random is broken, man! W-Wait? Oh no! Oh no!"

_'Double EWGF, one-two, knee, bottom swipe. Right, N, Down, Diagonal Down-Right, RK...Finisher, Electric Wind God Fist,'_

"This is no fair, Gray!" Stephen cried in defeat. "Hechihai's combos are just too much! Also, you know all the moves. So what's the point of random anyway? How do you know all the combos too!?"

Gray held up a thick manual. "I read this and memorized it all,"

"You psycho! You think the game manual is a school textbook too!?"

"Even I think that's a bit much, Gray Bear," Dara sweat-dropped. _'Why is the Takkan 7 manual as thick as a textbook anyway?'_ "But Fen Fox, that's not cheating. You could always read the manual too to make it fair,"

"No normal person would want to read that entire thing willingly!" Stephen shouted and thrusted the controller at him. "I want to see you win against him!"

"Okay," Dara grabbed the control and chose a random character.

Dara still lost to Gray, but at least he lasted much longer than Stephen. "So, what should we order? Chinese?"

"Yeah," Stephen nodded, upset that he was the worst player out of the trio.

XXX

"Hey Gray, Dara!" Stephen held up a giant mattress pin. "Check this out. Ta da, it's a pin for mattress sheets I snagged. Just clip this on and the pants don't drop even without a belt,"

"That's silly," Gray commented.

"Just get a belt like a normal person or pants that actually fit," Dara shrugged. "Belts make for a good weapon. They're long range and can be used as a whip. The metal buckle can draw blood,"

"You're so violent!" Stephen said.

"Stephen," Gray asked. "What are you trying to do? You donated all your prize money and got all kinds of support form the district program. I just don't understand. What are you gaining out of all this?"

"It makes everyone happy and that makes me happy," Stephen claimed. "So I guess it's some kind of self-satisfaction? Whatever it is though, Gray, I can tell you all about it. For some reason, I feel like you're the one who could understand me, all of me, for who I am,"

"And you lovebirds forgot that I'm also here," Dara stood up and began to leave. _'Seriously, that sounds like a love confession to Gray Bear,'_

"L-Lovebirds!?"

XXX

"I guess you'll be competing in the upcoming olympiad?" Stephen asked.

"Well, if nothing else comes up," Gray answered. "Why aren't you two signing up?"

"There's no prize money," Stephen replied.

"I get stressed enough over normal classwork," Dara pointed out. "I can never get second place in class. What makes you think I can place in the olympiad? You know, you're lucky you're in the middle school division. If you were in the high school division, my brother would beat you,"

"Your brother?" Gray inquired. "What's he like?"

"He's really smart and really strong," Dara described. "He's done so much for me and honestly, sometimes I think I'm just a burden to him. Ever since we were kids and ran away from home, he's always made sure that I ate before him, even if there was only enough food for one person. He'd always protect me from other street urchins,"

"You live on the streets?" Stephen questioned with concern.

"Not anymore," Dara quickly told them. "We now live with my brother's friend and his parents. They're really nice," _'I've accidentally revealed too much. I don't want anyone to worry,'_

Stephen noticed a student sitting all alone. "Let's sit over there," Stephen suggested and they approached the lonely student. "Why do you always sit alone? Let's eat together,"

_'I don't know why, but this guy is giving me bad vibes,'_

**So...I kind of have a problem with having too many stories...For this one, I have the entire Byuksan Arc Pre-Written.**

**Hey, at least I didn't write that horrible time travel story that's always in my head.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, wanna go to the snack bar with me?" Bryce asked the three nervously. "I'll buy,"

 _'He's such a try hard,'_ Dara thought. _'I don't like him,'_

At the snack bar, Bryce brought over a tray of chips and drinks. "Just tell me if you want anything else,"

"Man, I think we have more than enough," Stephen said. "Haha,"

 _'I'm not going to ask anything from him,'_ Dara decided. _'I don't want to owe him. He's putting a continuous effort to hang out with us. He's only with us so he wouldn't be alone. This doesn't feel like a friendship to me,'_

Eventually, the usual trio was now a usual quadrio. It frustrated Dara, but he forced himself to pretend to be nice to Bryce and not make it obvious that he hated him.

_'The moment he slips up, I'll make sure he leaves us alone,'_

XXX

Stephen had finished putting up some posters on the bulletin board. Dara was walking down the hallway and overheard two students near the window. "That dumbass over there with the tape, it's Stephen Ahn, right? Guys have been calling him Tapeman cause he's always putting up posters, acting like he's some kinda saint, hehe,"

"Maybe you're just jealous," Dara spoke up. "You're jealous that there's someone who actually is genuinely nice. You're jealous that he's happier than you. You're jealous that he doesn't have to hide his insecurities by acting all tough around people to impress others, especially girls,"

"Who do you think you are!?" One of them lunged at Dara.

Dara simply caught the fist with ease and glared at him. "I'm Dara Na, plain and simple. Just because I'm always with Fen Fox _doesn't mean that I'm as nice as them,_ " He let go and calmly left without anyone chasing after him.

When Dara returned to his friends, he noticed Bryce talking to Gray. "Gray, I saw you landed first place on the test again,"

"Yeah, that's just how it panned out," Gray responded.

"That's fucking amazing, man," Bryce commented. "That idiot Stephen scored first once. What a fluke. Took a nosedive from glory, didn't he? Hahaha. Turns out his real place is in the lower-middle range. Sometimes though, when I look at that fucker, _I feel like he's so fucking fake._ Does he think he's the students' guardian angel or something?"

"Maybe you're the fake one," Dara growled. "Fen Fox isn't fake. He's genuinely nice. Maybe you're the one pretending to be nice to us because we're the first people to ever want to hang out with you. The three of us are a package. If you don't like Stephen, then don't hang out with us,"

"You—"

"Phew, that's all of it," Stephen walked over to them after having finished up taping the posters. "Takkan revenge match today?"

As if forgetting about the conversation between Bryce and Dara, Gray smiled at Stephen. "You think you can handle it?" _'Bryce Oh is saying all those things because of his long-time, deeply-rooted inferiority complex,'_

A pair of girls were near the building entrance. "It's Stephen Ahn, Gray Yeon, and Dara Na from Class Four,"

"They're so perfect, OMG!"

XXX

"Come on man, why are you busting your balls buried in those books all the time?" Bryce, who hadn't worn his glasses and now had his hair gelled back, slung an arm over Gray's shoulder. "You should take it easy. You know, your frantic efforts to keep your grades up, are fucking sad and obnoxious. Keep that shit up and you won't grow, man. Hahaha,"

"Maybe if _you_ studied more, Bryce, you'd actually place higher," Dara spoke up. "Since you insulted Stephen about his scores being in the lower-middle range, then what about your scores? You're not even in the top ten. How about instead of calling out other people, you focus on improving yourself first?"

 _'Dara Na, who the hell do you think you are?'_ Bryce gritted his teeth in anger. "At least my grades are better than Stephen's,"

"I bet he'll place first in the next test," Dara smirked. 

"Look at you, Bryce," Stephen greeted. "I see you lost the glasses. It's a good look for you,"

"Oh, yeah..." _'Stupid Tapeman,'_

"Let's meet up after class,"

"Oh, my house is empty today,"

"Is that the plan then?"

XXX

"Hah, this is boring," Bryce whined after a few rounds of Takkan. 

"Then leave," Dara ordered. "Everyone else is enjoying it. If you find it boring, the door's right there. No one's forcing you to stay,"

 _'You fucker!'_ Bryce clenched a fist. _'I thought that Stephen Ahn was a pain, but Dara Na is even worse!'_

"Bryce, do you really think this is boring?" Stephen asked, trying to get rid of the tension. 

"Don't you think we kind of hangout like losers?" Bryce pointed out. 

Stephen just smiled. "I'm the King of Losers, baby. Hahaha,"

Bryce broke out into a fit of laughter when he heard Stephen dub himself that. "Bwahahaha! Stephen Ahn, the King of Losers, you can say that again! For real though, you're such a loser! Hahaha!" He managed to calm down a bit. "I mean, real talk, you're the dumbest out of the three of us. I mean, Gray shouldn't count, since he just studies all day. But you're around the middle in terms of grades. Actually, weren't you a little lower than that? Heh,"

"Wow, Bryce is roasting the shit out of me!" Stephen laughed along. "Alright man, hahaha!" 

"You know what Dara said?" Bryce recalled. "He said that you'll place first in the next test,"

"Thanks for having faith in me, man," Stephen told Dara. "I'll study hard and achieve first place! You study hard too, Dara,"

 **Class Ranking**  
1\. Stephen Ahn  
2\. Gray Yeon  
3\. George Kwan  
4\. Dara Na  
...  
13\. Bryce Oh

"I finally place fourth instead of fifth!" Dara cheered. "Who's the dumbest of the group now, Bryce? I told you Stephen's gonna place first,"

_'At least Gray Yeon was always on top, but Stephen Ahn, that damn fucker...and even Dara Na! He was always a bit higher than me, but never surpassed fifth place! This is fucking pissing me off!'_

**Dara, please beat the shit out of Bryce.**


	3. Chapter 3

Bryce's behavior began to change. He walked over to a student who was minding his own business and reading. Bryce began to harshly knock on the boy's head. "Hey, hello? Hello? Is anybody home?"

"Please...stop..."

Dara didn't bother to step in. He didn't care about that no name student. The only people in this school he cared about were Stephen, Gray, and Mrs. Lee.

"Come on piggy, you're stinking up the classroom," He harshly pulled at the boy's stomach. "What are we gonna do with you? You sure this isn't filled with methane gas?" He continued to whack him on the head.

"Hey Bryce," Stephen spoke up. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, there you are, haha," Bryce didn't even bother trying to hide his bullying behavior. "Look at the fat on this fucking hog. It's super stretchy. He must've eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit or something, hahaha,"

"Uh-huh..." Stephen walked over to them. "Cut it out, Bryce. You should be nice to your friends," He slung an arm around the bullied boy and led him away. "You alright, Donny?"

Gray and Dara both saw the pissed off look on Bryce's face.

"His true colors are showing," Dara whispered to Gray. "I never liked him from the start,"

XXX

"You should all be aware that those who haven't finished their performance evaluation homework today will face corporal punishment," The teach ordered. "All of you who haven't done it, to the front of the class!"

Both Stephen and Dara noticed how Gray was rummaging through his desk, searching for his missing paper. Stephen was about to scratch his name off from his own paper, but Dara stopped him. "I always make a copy of important homeworks in case I lose them," He took out a copy of his own homework, used white-out to erase his name, and used a pen to write Gray's name. He handed it to Gray and quickly returned to his seat. 

_'The hell? They're even willing to take a beating for each other?'_ Bryce noted. _'As for Gray's homework...I happened to grab it. But why isn't Dara going up to the front? If he gave his paper to Gray, then he shouldn't have a paper of his own! Dara should be facing corporal punishment along with those losers at the front!'_

XXX

Bryce had began to hang out with Oswald Yang and his delinquents instead of with Stephen, Gray, and Dara. Dara was actually quite happier now that Bryce wasn't around. After playing a few rounds of basketball with Stephen, they returned to the classroom to find Gray reading books about self-defense,"

"Self-Defense Martial Arts? You're reading a self-defense book?" Stephen asked. "And what's this? Special Forces Hand-to-Hand Combat? So you're trying to be both brains and brawns, huh? Is that what this is, Gray? Haha,"

"If you want any tips, you can come to me," Dara offered. "Or you can even train with me. Well, I don't think I should spar against you just yet since I don't want to accidentally hurt you. You should build up your strength and stamina. You can join me on my workout routines if you want,"

"It's just fun to read about," Gray said. "Physical activity isn't my thing,"

"I still think you should at least learn the basics," Dara advised. "There's some delinquents in middle school but in high school is when it gets worse. I want you to be able to protect yourself. But if I'm there, I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends," _'Donald's already formed a delinquent union and there's already a lot of members. That's just a small percentage of the complete number of delinquents in Yeongdeungpo,'_

"Dara, you know how to fight?" Stephen inquired.

"Yeah, I know bits from each type of martial art," Dara nodded. "The one I use depends on who my opponent is,"

"Hey, isn't it hard seeing Bryce around these days?" Stephen looked over to the empty desk. 

"Oh yeah, he's been hanging with Oswald Yang's squad lately," Gray informed. "He even smokes,"

"What? Oswald Yang? Smoking?" Stephen became concerned. "That doesn't sound like him,"

"It exactly sounds like him," Dara claimed. "I never liked him from the beginning but didn't say anything since you guys were fine with him,"

"That aside, you up for a revenge title match in Takkan today?" Stephen asked, trying to change the subject. "Hey Dara, we've never been to your house, right? I brought my PX4,"

"Sure," Dara agreed. "My parents are on a business trip and my brother and his friend are out for the night," _'Since Bryce isn't here, I don't mind having Fen Fox and Gray Bear over at my house,'_

"By the way, can I take a shower at your place? I'm super sweat from basketball,"

"Yeah, sure,"

XXX

"I thought you said that you lived with your brother's friend and his friend's parents?"

"I did,"

"This is a mansion,"

"The Kwan Family is very well off," Dara shrugged. "Let's go in and set up your PX4. I'll ask the cook to make some food for us,"

Dara led them to his room. As expected, it was very expansive. There were two levels connected by a white spiral staircase. The second level had a walkway which was bordered by a glass-like banister. Dara's room had a rock-climbing wall, a basketball half-court, an arcade station, a large white couch, a computer, a library of books and CDs, a private bathroom...basically a slightly smaller version of Adrien Agreste's room from _Miraculous Ladybug._

"There are towels in the cupboard in the bathroom," Dara told Stephen.

"Huh?"

"You said you wanted to shower since you're sweaty from basketball," Dara reminded. "You can shower first and I'll shower after,"

"A-Are you sure?" Stephen stuttered. "I mean, this _is_ your place. You should shower first,"

"It's fine," Dara told him. "I could shower in the bathroom down the hall, but I don't want to leave Gray Bear alone here since it'd make him feel awkward,"

Stephen awkwardly went to the bathroom to shower. _'Whenever we went over to Gray's house, I noticed that his parents weren't around often. Today, Dara said that his brother, his brother's friend, and the friend's parents were all out today. How often are Gray and Dara left alone at their homes?'_

"You and Fen Fox aren't going to start treating me different, right?" Dara asked and Gray could hear the hesitation and worry in his voice.

"No," Gray assured him. "Money or not, you're still the same Dara Na,"

XXX

After a couple hours, Gray and Stephen left to head home. Eventually they split up to go their respective ways. Back at his house, Dara noticed that Stephen had forgotten his phone. He grabbed it and started to make his way to Stephen's house. When he found Stephen in an alley, covered in bruises, he was furious.

"I-I'm fine," Stephen lied.

"Who did this?" Dara demanded. "Who the fuck hurt you!?"

"Dara," Stephen stood up. "I'm fine. These wounds are nothing. I just fell down,"

"Fen Fox, I'm not fucking stupid!" Dara snapped. "You don't get these injuries from _just_ falling down unless it's from a god damn staircase, not an alley!" His eyes narrowed. "Was it Bryce Oh?"

"N-No!" Stephen shook his head in denial. "Dara, please drop it! I'm fine!"

"No, you're not," Dara sighed. "Come on, I'll treat your wounds at my place," _'Bryce Oh, you piece of shit!'_

**Dara's _pissed_.**


	4. Chapter 4

Dara and Stephen were in class. Gray had gone to fix a problem with his name not being on the registration list for the olympiad. Despite many hours having passed since Dara found Stephen injured, he was still fuming.

Immediately after Gray left, Oswald Yang and his gang entered through the other door. "I slapped him straight across the face,"

Dara's ears perked up. _'Who is he talking about?'_

"Haha, sick," 

"That's what I like! I love how quiet my classroom is!" Oswald noticed Stephen, who was resting his head on his desk. "You're supposed to study in the classroom, not go to fucking dreamland, am I right? Man, you can't be doing this. I should give him a little wake up call,"

Dara kept a close eye on Oswald. _'I can't be the one to act first. If Oswald throws the first hit, it's self-defense,'_

Oswald pulled the chair from under Stephen. "W-What do you want?" Stephen asked weakly.

Dara stood up from his seat. _'Were you the one responsible for hurting Stephen!?'_

"Why hello there, Mr. Ahn the fucking jackass. Did you really think it was a good time to sleep?" Oswald mocked. "How can I help you? I might have just the right thing to keep you alert," He raised his hand and was about to slap Stephen.

Dara grabbed Oswald's wrist. "Leave him alone,"

"Dara, stop!" Stephen said. "I'm fine!"

"Hah? Who do you think you are?" Oswald turned to him. "Do you know who I am?"

"You're a piece of shit," Dara responded. "Were you the ones who hurt Stephen?"

"What if we were!?" Oswald threw a punch...only for it to easily be caught by Dara. "Huh?"

"How _weak_ ," Dara scoffed and threw a punch to Oswald's stomach.

Oswald gasped and stumbled back. "You fucker!"

"You're all talk," Dara swiftly kicked Oswald's head, knocking him to the floor. He then delivered a powerful stomp to Oswald's throat. "Who's next?" He turned to Bryce Oh and Desmond Kang.

The bell rang and the teacher arrived. When Mr. Bang saw the state Oswald was in, he was fuming. Dara was immediately brought to the principal's office. 

"Dara Na, you are in big trouble!" The principal, Daryl Bae, was fuming. "You assaulted another student for no reason! What do you have to say for yourself?"

"No reason?" Dara held up his phone and showed them that he had filmed the entire incident starting with Oswald approaching Stephen. "Oswald Yang attacked first,"

"Give me that phone! You shouldn't even be using it in class!"

"It was prior to class' start," Dara pointed out. "You're just trying to get rid of the evidence and cover up, yet again, Oswald Yang's offenses. This incident was in self-defense,"

"You arrogant brat! How dare you talk back to us!?"

In the end, they forcefully took the phone from Dara and deleted the video. Dara was expelled from Byuksan Middle School and blacklisted from the local high schools.

But as Dara left, he wasn't worried at all. In fact, he had the intention to destroy those school officials. All he had to do was wait for Mom Kwan and Dad Kwan to return from their business trip. Oscar Yang wasn't the only city council member.

XXX

"Dara, shouldn't you be heading to school?" Donald asked the next morning.

"I got expelled for protecting my friend," Dara smirked. "But don't worry. Mom and Dad will be back from their trip soon,"

"The parent of the offender is a person in a position of power, huh," Donald stated rather than asked. "If you're not worried, then I shouldn't worry either,"

"Don't destroy the house while we're gone," Kingsley said as he and Donald left for high school.

"I won't," Dara said. _'I have evidence of it being self-defense against Oswald Yang. I recorded with my spy pen the conversation about the school officials trying to cover up and protect Oswald Yang,'_

XXX

"Dara," Stephen asked when he left school early. "Why did you do that?"

"Because Oswald Yang was pissing me off," Dara answered. "Shame I wasn't able to also beat up Bryce Oh and Desmond Kang before the teacher came,"

"You got _expelled_ because of me!" Stephen argued. "You shouldn't have done that! You actually worked hard to keep your grades up and now you won't be able to get into a high school you wanted! I would've been fine!"

Dara finished tending to Stephen's additional wounds. "Oswald Yang isn't the only one with a connection to a person in power, Fen Fox. I've already compiled the evidence I have," He held up a pin. "There's a tiny camera that can record stuff. Wear this if you still intend to go back to school with Oswald Yang there,"

"I _have_ to go back," Stephen said. "If I don't, they might go after Gray next. I need to make them target me only,"

"Can you withstand this for the rest of the week?" Dara hated how he had to ask such a thing. "My parents will be home next week,"

"I'll make sure their focus stays on me and not Gray," Stephen nodded. "Don't tell Gray anything. He'll be even more worried,"

"He'll find out sooner or later," Dara pointed out. "He's in the same class as you,"

XXX

Next week Monday came. Dad Kwan and Mom Kwan arrived a bit later so by the time Dara and his parents arrived at the school, it was lunch time. "Dara, you can go," Dad Kwan ordered. "We'll deal with the principal. I have a copy of the recordings,"

Dara arrived at Class Four. He noticed that Stephen and Gray's seats were empty. "Where are my friends?"

"Gray went to the olympiad," Jeremy Park informed. "S-Stephen Ahn went to the roof with Oswald Yang's gang,"

Dara's eyes widened and he immediately ran down the halls and to the stairs that led to the roof. "Fen Fox!" 

"Dara!?" Stephen exclaimed. "Why are you here!?"

"My parents are dealing with the school admin," He glared at Oswald, Desmond, and Bryce. "You fuckers are gonna get what you deserve!"

"Since you like to play hero," Oswald held Stephen near the edge. "Why don't you come and save him then?"

Dara was about to charge at Oswald, but saw him loosen his grip on Stephen's shirt. _'He won't let Fen fall. He wouldn't go as far as to kill someone, right?'_ He took a deep breath and then lunged at Oswald.

Oswald was caught off guard and had planned to force Dara to stand still and endure a beating. He let go of Stephen's shirt, causing Stephen to fall from the roof. 

"Stephen!" Dara exclaimed and as he reached the edge, he tried to catch Stephen's hand, but ended up grasping empty air.

Still angered by Dara humiliating him, Oswald shoved Dara without thinking.

Dara was sent over the edge of the roof just like Stephen.

**Oh, Oswald and his gang aren't getting away from this scot-free.**


	5. Chapter 5

Gray had finished the olympiad and attempted to call Stephen, only for his friend to not answer his phone. "Why won't he pick up?"

_"How 'bout some Takkan after the olympiad tomorrow? It's been a while since we hung out with Dara, right?"_

Gray noticed that he had thirteen messages on Ketalk, all of them from Jeremy Park. _'Why did this guy send me so many messages?'_

_Jeremy Park:  
Stephen Ahn and Dara Na  
_ _fell from the roof! They were  
_ _picked up by the ambulances._

_Jeremy Park:  
Stephen's at Gangnam General  
Hospital, Room 515. _

_Jeremy Park:  
I'm not sure _ _about Dara  
because _ _it seems like_ _his  
parents might want a private   
_ _room instead._

_Jeremy Park:  
The emergency treatments   
_ _should probably be done by  
_ _the time you get there._

Gray's entire body went cold. _'Stephen...Dara...'_

XXX

Gray first went to see Stephen. The red haired boy laid unconscious in bed, hooked up to life support. "The patient sustained serious brain damage," Gray heard the doctor tell Stephen's mom. "For now, the chances of him returning to a normal level of health are low. Other than life support, I don't see any other clear options that will guarantee results. He will definitely live, but it looks like he won't be able to live normally for the rest of his life. I'm terribly sorry,"

Gray stood there, beside Stephen for an hour. His face was blank the entire time. Finally, he moved and gently put a hand to Stephen's cheek before leaving to look for Dara's room. Unfortunately, only family was allowed to see him and Gray dejectedly headed home. During his walk, he fell to his knees and broke down in tears.

_'Stephen...Dara...'_

XXX

"Dara..." Donald Na's poker face had shattered upon seeing his little brother in such a state. "Oh god, Dara..." _'I should've gone with you...I shouldn't have let you go alone...It's my fault you're like this...I should've protect you better...'_

"Donald, I know you're blaming yourself," Kingsley put a hand to his friend's shoulder. "But it's not your fault. It's the ones who pushed him off the roof's fault,"

"Dara's seriously hurt," Donald's voice cracked. "He's in a _coma_ , just like his friend,"

"Comas usually last only a few weeks," But Kingsley also knew that sometimes a coma can last for years too. "We have enough evidence to convict the perpetrators,"

"They're trying to drag it out by pushing back the court date," Donald said. "But no matter how long it takes, when the trial comes, we have definite evidence," He held up the pins that Dara and Stephen had worn. "These still are intact and they have video proof of the incident today. There's no way for those fuckers to prove their innocence,"

XXX

Gray didn't attend class for days. But when he did...he beat the shit out of Oswald Yang, Desmond Kang, and Bryce Oh. Since Dara wasn't there to ask his parents to help Gray out, and because Dara's family have never met Gray before, Gray was still kicked out and blacklisted from local high schools.

When Gray tried to visit Stephen, he was told that Stephen had been moved to a different hospital for better treatment options. With Mrs. Lee's help, Gray was able to enroll at Eunjang High School.

A few days later, Donald Na and Kingsley Kwan also hunted down the trio of perpetrators. They didn't care that the three were still healing from their wounds and proceeded to beat them to near death. Donald and Kingsley created fake alibis to throw any investigators off their trail.

XXX

_'Fen Fox...'_

**Beep...**

_'Gray Bear...'_

**Beep...**

_'Donald...'_

**Beep...**

_'Kingsley...'_

**Beep...**

_'Mom and Dad...'_

**Beep...**

Dara's eyes flew open. _'Where is everyone!?'_ He pulled the oxygen mask off of his face. _'What happened to Fen and Gray!?'_ He got out of bed, only to end up falling to the floor. _'Damn it!'_ He forced himself to stand back up. _'Where are Fen and Gray!?'_

He stumbled out into the hallways where the nurses caught sight of him. "Sir, you shouldn't be out of bed!"

"I'm fine!" Dara rasped out and continued to walk. "Where...where are my friends?" He crumpled to the floor and was in a lot of pain. "Where are they!?"

"Dara!" Donald, who had came by to visit his brother, saw him out of bed and on the floor. 

"Where's Fen and Gray!?" Dara demanded.

Donald brought Dara back to his bed. "One of your friends was transferred to a different hospital. He's also comatose like you were. I'm not sure about your other friend because I have never met him and you never told me his name,"

"Fen's in a coma?" Dara whispered. _'That's right...he fell first and then that bastard Oswald shoved me!'_

"Oswald Yang, Bryce Oh, and Desmond Kang are in prison for attempted murders," Donald informed. "They tried to deny it but your evidence proved their guiltiness. We also beat them to near death since they kept pushing back the court date,"

"So they're finally punished," Dara sighed in relief. "But Fen...he's still in a coma..."

"I don't know what hospital he was transferred to," Donald said. "But they transferred him so he'd have better treatment options,"

"I need to get stronger..." Dara told his older brother. "Donald, I need to get stronger so I can protect them better. I was...I was too weak. I wasn't fast enough. I..."

"Focus on recovering first," Donald ordered. "You need to heal up first before you get stronger,"

_'I shouldn't have held back against Oswald. I should've completely finished him back then. If I had done so, at least Stephen wouldn't have suffered this much,'_

**So that's the end of the Byuksan Middle School Arc.  
I originally intended for Donald to find Gray while Dara is comatose and train him so he'd be able to protect himself, but I decided that while his brother is comatose, he wouldn't care about his brother's friends at the moment.**


	6. Chapter 6

"So this is Daehyeon High School," Dara mumbled to himself. _'It sucks how my grades weren't good enough to get into Yeo-Il with Donald. I'm sure Gray Bear would've gotten into such a prestigious school and I could look for him there. I asked Donald and Kingsley to see if any of the freshmen are named Gray Yeon,'_

"Maybe he could be here too," Dara shrugged. "Daehyeon isn't the bottom of the barrel. I'm sure he was devastated by the incident so he might've skipped school for a bit, which would have affected his grades," _'And I seem like a crazy person since I'm talking out loud to myself,'_

"Hey there man," An orange haired teen greeted. "You look lost,"

"I'm a freshman," Dara pointed out. "And I'm sure you're a freshman too. Wouldn't anyone be lost on their first day?"

"Well, Daehyeon Middle School had a field trip where we had a tour of Daehyeon High School," The teen said. "I'm Jake Ji,"

"Jake Ji?" Dara questioned. "Are you Kenny Ji's younger brother?" 

"You know Kenny?" Jake asked.

"Yeah," Dara nodded. "He and I chatted during physical therapy. You and him have the same orange hair and orange eyes so I'm guessing you _are_ his little brother,"

"Yeah," Jake replied. "A friend of Kenny's is a friend of mine. I'll show you around,"

 _'Friends,'_ Dara thought solemnly. _'The only friends i need are Stephen and Gray. Kenny was nice to talk to while doing physical therapy so I wasn't bored out of my mind. I don't need to be friends with this guy. Gray and Stephen both put their trust in Bryce Oh and that bastard, despite being shown kindness, betrayed them. I don't want to risk betrayal by putting my trust in this boy,'_

"No thanks," Dara refused Jake's help. "I'll find my own way,"

"A friend of Kenny's is a friend of mine," Jake repeated and slung an arm over Dara's shoulders.

"Kenny and I aren't even that close," Dara shoved his arm off. "We only spoke with each other for a few minutes a day. We're more of acquaintances than friends,"

"Haha, I'm sure you'll warm up to me and my friends," Jake grinned.

"Oi, I didn't agree to join your friend group!"

XXX

"Guys, this is our new friend!" Jake dragged Dara into the classroom.

"I said I'm not your friend!" Dara snapped. "I don't need any friends!"

"He's such a tsundere," Jake laughed.

"Man, you can't just go around kidnapping people," Dean groaned. 

"He was lost and lonely at the school gates!" Jake gasped. "You wanted me to just _leave_ him there?"

"I can find my classes on my own," Dara rolled his eyes. "I'm not a little kid. We're the same age too, so stop treating me like a kid,"

"He's Kenny's friend from physical therapy," Jake informed. "Hey, what did you say your name was?"

"Dara Na," He answered.

"I'm Dean Kwan," The teen with a manbun and glasses said.

"I'm Timothy Park, but you can call me Timmy," The blondie with glasses added.

"Yo, I'm Eunchan Hong!" The last boy had pale skin, almost as pale as Donald's and light blonde hair. 

"And I don't care," Dara said coldly as he left without saying anything else.

"Jake, why do I have a feeling that you're not going to give up on him joining us?" Dean sighed.

"I give him until the end of the day," Eunchan grinned. "Once Jake declares someone to be his friend, there's no getting out of it,"

XXX

Dara was grateful that he so far didn't have any classes with Jake, Timmy, Dean, or Eunchan. From what he had observed in their short interaction, Jake and Eunchan were the most outgoing and would probably be the most annoying to be around. Dean and Timmy were quieter, but Timmy was shy while Dean just didn't have anything to say.

 _'Gray isn't in any of my classes,'_ Dara thought as he peered into the other classrooms during break time. _'How many classrooms does Daehyeon High School have for just the freshmen year?'_

He eventually returned to his own classroom with no success.

XXX

During lunch time, Jake approached him again. "You wanna eat with us?"

"Even if I didn't want to eat with you guys," Dara pointed out. "We'd still both be heading to the cafeteria,"

"The school has a snack bar," Jake said. "It'll be my treat,"

"I don't like owing people," Dara refused. 

"You don't have to pay me back," Jake told him.

"I still don't want to eat with you," Dara stood up and walked past Jake. "Besides, I have more important things to do," _'Maybe if I go to the cafeteria, Gray will be there,'_ Once he got to the canteen, he scanned each face at each table and the students in line, but did not find any sign of Gray.

 _'Fuck, this is so frustrating,'_ Dara groaned as he grabbed a tray of food and sat down to eat. _'If Gray's not here, then he's gotta be at Yeo-Il, right? I highly doubt he actually went to Byuksan High School since I'm sure he'd want to avoid seeing the faces of his classmates that laughed alongside Bryce and Oswald,'_

_'There are other schools in the area like Eunjang, Yoosun, Hyeongshin, and Ganghak. I highly doubt he'd go to Eunjang or Yoosun since those schools are on the lower end side. Gray's grades are way better than those. He'd be able to be first in the entire school without trying too hard. I don't know much about Hyeongshin, but I know Ganghak is pretty competitive about grades. Could Gray be there?'_

"Hey Dara," Kenny wheeled over to him. "Are you alright? You seem stressed,"

"I'm fine," Dara told him. "Also, your brother keeps pestering me to be his friend,"

"Sorry, Jake's like that sometimes," Kenny apologized. "He's a really nice person though. He'll do anything for his family and friends," The last part was said a bit quieter than the rest. "He gets along well with most people,"

"I'm not really a social person," Dara shrugged. "But I'll keep that in mind," _'Like hell I'll be friends with Jake,'_

**Oh Dara, you _will_ be friends with Jake.**

**Why doesn't Dara ask Ms. Lee from Byuksan where Gray enrolled?**  
Dara doesn't trust the school admin, especially since they tried to cover up Oswald Yang and his gang bullying other students. He trusts Ms. Lee a bit more than most teachers, but if he needed important information, he wouldn't trust her.

 **Why doesn't Dara just call Gray to ask him which high school he's attending?**  
Dara's phone got broken after he fell. He didn't memorize his friends' numbers.

 **When will Gray and Dara reunite?**  
Not immediately. Donald and Kingsley need to get the roster of all freshman students from each school and look through all of the names on the list from _Gray Yeon._ I don't know about Korean high schools, but in the high schools I went to there were around twenty to thirty students in a class and from the class numbers in Eunjang, we know there are at least fifteen classes in freshman year. That's at least three hundred names to look through per school.


End file.
